hypnoctopus
Olivia Barron
That is a pretty snake! I can't tell if she is gravid, but if she is, maybe you should keep get for a while until she lays her eggs.
Well, here's another black rat snake story I have.
Many moons ago my parents moved (I was still living at home at the time) to Fallston in Harford County, MD and the house butted up against a stream with a rocky hill on the other side. The entire area was heavily wooded. I always spent time in the woods, so I quickly did some exploring in the new environment I now lived in. Found an old abandoned building (perhaps a hunters cabin?) up on that hill and there was a tree next to it that had a good population of really huge black rat snakes living in it. If I remember correctly, I believe I counted six of them at one time. I would often go over there and put my hand in the lower branches of the tree and flutter it like a bird in distress. That brought the snakes down to investigate and they never seemed to get tired of that game we played. I caught a few of them just to handle them and then just released them back into the tree branches. Seems to me this went on all Spring and Summer into the early Fall.
Well, one day I went on over to the cabin and was devastated to find ALL of those black rat snakes laying dead on the ground underneath the tree. Looked like someone had shot them with a .22. I am surprised I didn't literally burst into flames I was so angry. Heck, it still brings tears to my eyes thinking about it. I seriously think that had the person or persons who had done that still been there at the scene of the crime, there would have also been at least one dead human body laying on that hill as well that day. Maybe mine for charging at someone holding a loaded gun, but still, I doubt I could have controlled myself. Damn, my blood still boils just thinking about it, even though it's been so long ago. Anyway, I didn't go back to that cabin for a very long time afterwards.
So, bear this in mind. Any neighbors of yours finding a snake like that are likely not going to be as thrilled as you are about it. There are still a bunch of genetically lobotomized people around who feel that the only good snake is a dead snake. And they will make every effort they can to make every snake they find a "good" snake.
That is a pretty snake! I can't tell if she is gravid, but if she is, maybe you should keep get for a while until she lays her eggs.
I wonder if you could hand feed the wild population, every time one came around. I know you'd just be attracting them, so hopefully your chicks are safe. But wouldn't it be cool to see if they would learn to associate you with a meal, and seek you out?
IMO Black Rats are one of North America's most beautiful snakes! Which is probably why besides Corns I keep and breed them and offer them as pets. Been in love with them since I was a kid.
Great finds! I'm extremely jealous!
Hi Steve,
Is that a leucistic black rat snake in the last picture, and if so are you offering any for sale? I would love to get me a pretty little lucy black rat snake. Seeing all these awesome wild snakes has just strengthened my desire to have a tame one.